Oil supply regulator



'IIII )qm-1:5 Harfe/- IN VEN TOR.

A TTORN E Y H. D'. HARPER oIL SUPPLY REGULATOR Fild June 4'15, 195e May 25 1937.

2 .m El

Patented May 25, 1937 UNITE STATES Meer oFFieE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to an oil supply regulator.

The principal object of this device is-to deliver oil or liquid to a container while metering the oil or liquid until a certain level is reached and then maintaining that level.

A further object of this invention is to provide an oil supply regulator that will maintain an even level at normal temperature, and maintain that same level despite extremes in temperature or the formation of vapor or gases.

A still further object oi this invention is to provide an oil supply regulator so constructed as to drain off any overflow of oil or liquid.

In supplying oil to a bearing or similar article it is highly desirable that the oil supply be uniform inasmuch as an over supply would be wasteful While an under supply would effect the lubrication of the bearing or similar article. In my device I have provided an unfailing means of regulating the source of oil supply to a bearing, my device being so constructed that a uniform oil level is maintained at all times in the sump of the device.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and inthe details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:-

Figure l is a side elevation of the device with parts broken away.

Figure 2 is a detail view of the device showing the operating chambers in cross section.

Figure 3 is a cross section taken on line 3 3 of Figure 2.

By referring to the drawing it will be seen that there is provided a body member I. This body member I is mounted in a rotatable manner in a bracket 2. A gland 3 forms a tight connection between these two parts. The bracket 2 is in turn mounted adjacent the bearing' being lubricated. The other end of this body member I supports a pair of transparent containers 4 and 5, each being mounted upon valve chambers 6 and l. These transparent containers and valve chambers are so mounted that when placedin a vertical position, one is almost directly above the other. The body member I being rotatably mounted, these transparent containers and valve chambers may be rotated in either direction so that the lower one may be readily lled. In the drawing the transparent container 4 and valve chamber 6 are shown in the upper or operating position. The oil or lubricating liquid is shown in the transparent container 4 and in various parts of the valve chamber 6. The valve chamber 6 is tubular in form and has within it a secondary tubular chamber I'I. The upper end of this tubular chamber I1 is formed into a restricted orifice 8. This restricted orifice 8 is directly within an opening 9 of the transparent container 4, this opening 9 being of a larger diameter than the orice 8. A pipe I0 is positioned adjacent the tubular chamber Il. This pipe I0 has its upper end opening into an equali- Zation chamber I I, which in turn is partly under the opening 9 into the transparent container 4. The lower end of this pipe Il] extends downwardly and ends just inside a filler cap I2. This pipe III is positioned so that the oil passage provided by it will effectively break any air lock occurring at the upper end of the restricted oriiice 8 and will also keep the device from becoming unprimed. The lower end of the valve chamber 6 is provided with a tapered orifice I3 to facilitate in filling the device. The lower end of the tubular chamber I'I is provided with an inverted V slot I 4. 'Ihe valve chamber 6 is attached to the body u member I and has an elongated opening I5between theV two. This elongated opening has an enlarged circular portion at its upper end in order to facilitate the ow of oil through the opening when the oil reaches this relatively high level. (See Figure 3.) The valve chamber 'I being directly across the body member I from the valve chamber 6 and in an inverted position, it will be Seen that the construction of this valve chamberv l is exactly the same as that of the valve chamber 6. There is also the same elongated opening formed between the body member I and this valve chamber 'I. The valve chamber I is also provided with a transparent container 5.

In operation, oil or other liquid is placed in one or both of the transparent containers 4 and 5 and the device rotated until a filled container and its chamber are in an upright operating position as shown by the transparent container 4 and the valve chamber 6 in the drawing. 'I'he oil or other liquid ilows downwardly from the transparent container 4 through the restricted orice 8, and into the tubular chamber I'I. It also flows downwardly through the equalization chamber II and through the pipe I0, thus effectlvely sealing the lower portion of the tubular chamber I1. When this occurs air is unable to enter the tubular chamber I1 and the atmospheric pressure checks the flow of oil. The oil is able to ow through the elongated opening I into the body member I which now forms a sumpfrom which tubing carries the oil to the place of use. It is necessary that the oil level in the sump of the body member I be the same as that in the bearing or other article being lubricated, so the entire device is mounted so that this is true. As the oil is consumed from the sump in the body member I the level of the liquid falls at the V slot I4 until the air pressure is able to pierce the iilm tension at this point. Thus a small volume of air is admitted to the tubular chamber I1. This volume of air, added to the volume of oil already in the tubular chamber I1, releases a like volume of oil into the valve chamber 6 where it rises and covers the inverted V slot I4. This action is repeated as often as the oil level drops below the inverted V slot I4. The oil flows from the lower end of the valve chamber 6 through the elongated opening I5 into the body member I. Thus the oil level of this sump portion of the body member I is the same as that within the lower end of the valve chamber 6. The elongated opening I5 is formed as it is to prevent the rapid flow of oil through this opening from unpriming C the device. In the event of a rise in temperature or gas forming in the oil, causing an expansion of oil within the device, the oil level will not rise above a given point due to the draining action of an opposite V slot I6. Under some operating conditions where extremely high temperatures are encountered the action of the device is caused entirely by the formation of vapor or gas in the oil and thus the oil level is maintained despite the fact that there may be no air admitted to the tubular chamber I1 over a long period of time. Under these conditions it is obvious that the position of the V slot I6 guards against an excess quantity of oil in the sump of the device as the surplus will drain out through the V slot I6 and down into the container 5. Under these extreme operating conditions the transparent container 5 is not filled to capacity so that it will be able to receive the overow above mentioned.

At such time as the oil in the transparent container 4 becomes completely consumed it is necessary only to rotate the device one-half turn, thus placing the transparent container 5 and valve chamber 1 in an operating position. By turning the device a little further, or until the valve chambers 6 and 1 are at approximately a 45L7 angle, the oil will flow from one container to the other, thus the device may be filled before the oil is entirely consumed from the4 operating container.

A target I8 is positioned on each of the transparent containers 4 and 5 simply to enable the operator to determine the amount of oil used.

My invention provides intermittent positive action and supplies oil as needed into the sump of the device, thus providing an unfailing means of lubrication for any bearing or similar article.

What I claim is:-

1. An oil supply regulator comprising a bracket carrying a rotatable body member, in combination with a pair of oppositely disposed tubular valve chambers mounted on said body member, a pair of equalization chambers formed on the valve chambers, and a pair of transparent containers mounted on the equalization chambers, openings formed between said valve chambers and the body member, an inner tubular chamber in each valve chamber and a pipe for each valve chamber positioned so that they open into the equalization chambers, a restricted orifice at one end of each of said inner tubular chambers, and an inverted V slot formed in the other end of each tubular chamber, substantially as described.

2. An oil supply regulator comprising a bracket carrying a rotatable body member in combination with a pair of oppositely disposed tubular valve chambers mounted on said body member, a pair of transparent containers mounted on said tubular valve chambers, elongated openings formed between said valve chambers and the body member, an inner tubular chamber in each valve chamber and a pipe and equalization chamber for each valve chamber, a restricted orifice at one end of each of said inner tubular chambers, and an inverted V slot formed in the other end of each tubular chamber, together with a removable cap for each valve chamber, and a tapered orifice in each of said valve chambers to facilitate in filling, substantially as described.

3. An oil supply regulator comprising a bracket carrying a rotatable body member having a gland positioned between said bracket and body member, in combination with a pair of oppositely disposed tubular valve chambers mounted on said body member, a pair of transparent containers mounted on said tubular valve chambers, elongated openings formed between said valve chambers and the body member to control the flow of oil, an inner tubular chamber in each valve chamber and a pipe and equalization chamber for each valve chamber, said pipe and equalizaton chamber so placed as to prevent the unpriming of the device when in an upright operating position and serving as a vent when in an inverted position, av restricted orifice at equalization chamber end of each of said inner tubular chambers, and an inverted V slot formed in the other end of each tubular chamber, said inverted V slot positioned to meter oil into the said body member when in an upright position and designed to serve as an overflow outlet when in an in verted position, together with a removable cap for each valve chamber, and a tapered orice in each of said valve chambers to facilitate filling, substantially as described.

HARRY D. HARPER, 

